Kais Saied facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids His Excellency Kais Saied
قَيْس سْعَيِّد
Saied in 2023

5th President of Tunisia
Incumbent
Assumed office 23 October 2019
Prime Minister	Youssef Chahed Elyes Fakhfakh Hichem Mechichi Najla Bouden Ahmed Hachani Kamel Madouri
Preceded by	Mohamed Ennaceur (acting)

Personal details
Born	(1958-02-22) 22 February 1958 (age 67) Tunis, Tunisia
Political party	Independent
Spouse	Ichraf Saied
Children	3
Alma mater	University of Tunis International Institute of Humanitarian Law
Profession	Jurist, lecturer in law
Signature

Kais Saied (Arabic: قَيْس سْعَيِّد ; born 22 February 1958) is a Tunisian politician and expert in law. He is currently the seventh president of Tunisia. He first took office in October 2019. Before becoming president, he was a professor of law. He also led the Tunisian Association of Constitutional Law for many years.

Saied worked in legal and academic roles starting in the 1980s. He ran for president in 2019 as an independent candidate. He promised to fight corruption and improve the election system. He especially wanted to connect with younger voters. He won the election with a large number of votes. He defeated Nabil Karoui in the second round. He became president on 23 October 2019.

In January 2021, there were protests in Tunisia. People were upset about police actions, economic problems, and the COVID-19 situation. On 25 July 2021, Saied made big changes. He removed the parliament and the Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi. Since then, he has also changed the judicial system and arrested some politicians. He ruled by special orders until a new constitution was approved. This new constitution gave him more powers. He was re-elected president for a second term on 6 October 2024.

Early Life and Education

Kais Saied was born to Moncef Saied and Zakia Bellagha. His family comes from Béni Khiar in Cap Bon. Saied has shared that his father helped protect a young Tunisian Jewish girl from the Nazis during World War II. His mother was a housewife. His family was middle class and valued education.

His paternal uncle, Hicham Saïed, was a famous pediatric surgeon in Tunisia. He was known for successfully separating conjoined twins in the 1970s. Kais Saied finished his high school studies at Sadiki College.

Professional Career

Kais Saied is an expert in constitutional law. This is a type of law that deals with a country's main rules. He was the secretary-general of the Tunisian Association of Constitutional Law from 1990 to 1995. After that, he became the vice-president of the association.

He directed the public law department at the University of Sousse from 1994 to 1999. Later, he worked at the Faculty of Juridical, Political and Social Sciences of Tunis. This is part of the University of Carthage. He was there from 1999 to 2018. Saied also worked as an expert for the Arab League and the Arab Institute for Human Rights. In 2014, he helped revise the draft of the Tunisian Constitution. He retired from teaching in 2018.

Political Journey

Starting in Politics

From 2013 to 2014, Kais Saied joined many political groups and meetings. These groups often included young people. In 2016, a movement called Mouassissoun was created. Its goal was to support Saied's ideas and plans.

2019 Presidential Campaign

Saied was one of the first people to announce they would run for president in 2019. He ran as an independent candidate. He aimed to connect with younger voters. One of his ideas was to let citizens remove elected officials if they were not doing a good job.

He told voters that many of Tunisia's problems were because people were not following the country's laws. He also presented a plan to fight corruption. This included both moral and financial corruption. Saied received support from different political groups.

Saied during the 2019 presidential campaign

Saied also spoke about Tunisia's relationship with Israel. He said that Israel was at war with the region. He believed that any leader who made peace with Israel should be tried for not being loyal to their country. He also said that Tunisia has no problem with Jewish people. He noted that Tunisians, including his father, protected Jewish people during Second World War.

Some media called Saied "RoboCop". This was because of his calm voice and his use of formal Arabic. He also focused on law and order. During his campaign, Saied presented himself as a leader for ordinary people. He won the first round of the election with 620,711 votes. He then faced Nabil Karoui in the second round. On 14 October, he was announced as the new President of Tunisia. He won with 72.71% of the votes. He took office nine days later.

2024 Presidential Campaign

Kais Saied decided to run for president again in the 2024 Tunisian presidential election. This election was held on 6 October. On 7 October 2024, the election officials announced the results. Kais Saied was re-elected president of Tunisia with 90.69% of the votes. He began his second term on 21 October.

President of Tunisia

Kaïs Saied at Carthage Palace, 23 October 2019.

Saied officially became Tunisia's president on 23 October 2019. He is the first president who was born after Tunisia gained independence from France in 1956.

Becoming President

The election results were officially announced on 17 October. On the same day, Kais Saied chose his brother Naoufel to help him pick his presidential team. The Assembly of the Representatives of the People set the oath-taking ceremony for 23 October. This date was the last day for the acting president to hold power.

On 23 October, at the Carthage Palace, Saied took his oath. He promised to fight terrorism and protect the rights of Tunisian women. He also promised to improve economic and social rights. After his oath, the acting president, Mohamed Ennaceur, officially handed over power to him.

First Actions as President

Saied chose not to live in the Carthage Palace. Instead, he preferred his own home in Mnihla. This is in the Ariana Governorate. On 30 October, he appointed diplomat Tarek Bettaïeb to lead his presidential office. General Mohamed Salah Hamdi became his national security adviser. Tarek Hannachi was put in charge of official ceremonies. Other key appointments included Abderraouf Bettaïeb as Minister-Advisor, Rachida Ennaifer for communication, and Nadia Akacha for legal matters.

Forming a Government

Kaïs Saied in a diplomatic meeting at the Carthage Palace, 7 September 2021.

Tunisia has a semi-presidential system. This means the president and prime minister share power. Saied had one week after becoming president to ask the winning party in the legislative elections to form a government. That party then had one month to get approval from the Assembly. On 15 November 2019, he asked Habib Jemli to form a government. However, the Assembly rejected Jemli's government on 10 January 2020.

Saied then had ten days to choose a new head of government. On 20 January 2020, he appointed Elyes Fakhfakh. Fakhfakh's government was announced on 15 February. But some parties did not want to support it at first. A slightly changed government was approved on 19 February. On 27 February, the Assembly approved the government.

In June 2020, there were reports that Fakhfakh owned shares in companies that won government contracts. Fakhfakh denied doing anything wrong. On 15 July 2020, he resigned. On 25 July 2020, Saied appointed Hichem Mechichi as the new head of government. Mechichi took office on 2 September 2020.

Major Government Changes in 2021

Saied with Italian president Sergio Mattarella at Quirinal Palace, 16 June 2021.

On 25 July 2021, there were many protests against the government. People wanted better basic services. Also, the COVID-19 outbreak was getting worse. Saied decided to suspend the parliament for thirty days. He also removed Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi from his job. He ordered the military to close the parliament building.

Saied's actions were seen by some as a major change in power. He took over executive authority. He suspended parliament and closed some news offices. Human rights groups and some media outlets criticized these decisions. They raised concerns about the future of democracy in Tunisia. These changes happened after protests against the government, economic problems, and issues with the health system.

Saied with Secretary Antony Blinken in Washington, D.C., 22 December 2022.

On 24 August 2021, Saied extended the parliament's suspension. This caused more worries about democracy. On 22 September, Saied announced he would rule by decree. This meant he would make laws without parliament. He also said he would not follow some parts of the constitution. Saied named Najla Bouden as Prime Minister on 29 September 2021. Protests against his increased power continued.

On 13 December 2021, Saied extended the parliament's suspension until new elections. He announced a public discussion from January to March 2022. This was to gather ideas for new constitutional reforms. After this, experts would write a new constitution. This new constitution would be ready by June for a public vote on 25 July 2022. He also said new parliamentary elections would be held on 17 December 2022.

In February 2022, Saied dissolved the Supreme Judicial Council. This body was in charge of making sure judges were independent. He later said he would restructure it instead of getting rid of it. This led to protests by judges and lawyers. On 13 February 2022, Saied created a temporary Supreme Judiciary Council.

Saied with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, 16 July 2023.

A public vote on the constitution happened on 25 July 2022. The results showed that 90% of voters supported Saied's changes. However, only about 30.5% of people voted. Saied declared victory. He promised that Tunisia would enter a new phase with his increased powers. After the parliamentary election, the main opposition group asked Saied to resign. This was because less than 9% of voters participated in those elections.

African Immigration Discussions

In February 2023, Saied spoke about African immigration into Tunisia. He said that migrants were changing the country's population. In 2023, more migrants from Africa tried to cross from Tunisia to Europe. This might have been due to growing anti-immigration feelings in Tunisia.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tried to make a deal with Saied. The goal was to stop illegal migration from Tunisia to the European Union. In September 2023, many boats carrying thousands of migrants arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa. These migrants were transported by Tunisian smugglers.

Press Freedom and New Laws

In September 2022, President Kais Saied signed Decree Law 54. This law aimed to fight "false information and rumors" on the internet. Article 24 of the decree says that spreading such information can lead to up to five years in prison. There is also a fine of up to 50,000 dinars. The punishment is doubled if the false statement is about a government official.

Environmental Concerns

In 2023, Tunisia faced more water scarcity. This was due to climate change. The government had to limit water use in some areas. Also, the wheat harvest in May 2023 was much smaller than usual. This meant Tunisia had to import most of its grain. This led to limits on bread and forced many bakeries to close. While Saied's government has tried to help, Tunisians are generally unhappy with efforts to protect the environment.

Personal Life

Kais Saied is married to Ichraf Chebil. She is a judge. They met when she was a law student in Sousse. They have three children: two daughters named Sarah and Mouna, and a son named Amrou. Saied enjoys classical Arab music and Arabic calligraphy. Many of his supporters call him "Kaisoun."